The Global Cat Economy Is Growing: How Cat Food Is Moving Toward Premium, Functional and Specialized Nutrition

The Global Cat Economy Is Growing Faster Than You Might Expect

Cats are no longer simply one category within the broader pet market.

Across major pet markets, cats are becoming an increasingly important driver of pet food consumption, premium nutrition and specialized products. The trend is particularly visible among younger urban consumers, who often see cats as companions and family members rather than traditional household pets.

According to Euromonitor International, the global pet care market reached approximately US$207 billion in 2025, while cat food was the fastest-growing major pet food category between 2020 and 2025, recording a 6% CAGR, compared with 3.8% for dog food.

This does not mean that cats have already overtaken dogs in every market or every spending category. Dogs remain a major part of the global pet economy.

But the direction is clear:

The cat segment is becoming one of the most important growth engines in the global pet food industry.

China Shows How Quickly the Cat Economy Can Expand

China provides one of the clearest examples of this shift.

According to the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper, China's urban dog and cat consumption market reached approximately RMB 312.6 billion in 2025, up 4.1% year over year.

Within this market:

• Dog consumption reached approximately RMB 160.6 billion.
• Cat consumption reached approximately RMB 152.0 billion.
• Cat consumption increased 5.2%, faster than the 3.2% growth of the dog market.
• Urban pet cats reached approximately 72.89 million.
• Urban pet dogs numbered approximately 53.43 million.

The same report projects China's urban cat economy to reach approximately RMB 218.4 billion by 2028, compared with RMB 192.3 billion for dogs.

This is important because the change is not simply about having more cats.

It is about higher spending per pet and increasingly sophisticated consumption.

In 2025, average annual spending per urban cat in China reached approximately RMB 2,085, up 3.2% from the previous year.

The Chinese market therefore offers an important lesson for global pet food companies:

When pet ownership matures, growth increasingly comes from what consumers buy for each pet, rather than simply from the number of pets.

Cat Food Is Becoming More Specialized

The evolution of cat food is closely connected with the changing role of cats in households.

Traditional pet food competition often focused on basic factors such as:

Protein content,Price,Brand,Palatability,Ingredient selection

Today's market is increasingly moving toward more specific nutritional positioning.

Examples include:

Hairball control,Digestive health,Urinary tract support,Weight management,Skin and coat care,Hydration,Senior cat nutrition,Kitten nutrition,Indoor cat formulas,Sterilized cat formulas,High-protein diets,Functional treats.

US consumer data supports this shift.

According to the American Pet Products Association's 2025 Dog & Cat Report, 38% of cat owners purchased premium food in 2024, representing a 9% increase from 2023, while purchases of basic cat food declined 7%. Mixer and topper purchases among cat owners also increased dramatically compared with 2018.

This indicates that the opportunity is moving beyond the traditional bag of dry cat food.

Consumers are increasingly building a pet nutrition portfolio.

Wet Food, Dry Food and Freeze-Dried Products Are Creating New Opportunities

The structure of cat food consumption also differs from dog food in important ways.

FEDIAF's latest European data shows that Europe had approximately 111 million cats and 91 million dogs in 2024, with pet food sales reaching €29.4 billion across the covered European markets.

Within European cat food consumption, wet food plays a particularly important role.

Available FEDIAF data indicates that wet food represents around 60% of cat food by value, while dry food remains an important format.

Meanwhile, China is seeing strong growth across dry cat food, wet cat food and premium products.

Euromonitor data cited by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada estimates China's cat food retail market at approximately US$4.55 billion in 2025, with the category projected to reach approximately US$6.01 billion by 2030.

Premium dry cat food is also expected to grow faster than economy products.

The result is a more complex manufacturing environment.

A modern cat food product may combine:

Dry kibble + freeze-dried meat + functional particles + vegetable ingredients + nutritional supplements

Different ingredients can have very different:

Particle sizes/Bulk densities/Flow characteristics/Fragility/Moisture levels/Feeding behavior

This creates a new challenge for manufacturers.

The Challenge Is No Longer Just Developing a Formula

A great formula is only the beginning.

When a product contains several different components, the manufacturing process must ensure that the final package actually reflects the designed formula.

For example, imagine a cat food product containing:

• 70% extruded kibble
• 15% freeze-dried meat
• 10% vegetable particles
• 5% functional nutritional ingredients

If these components are not accurately weighed and consistently dosed, the nutritional composition of different bags can vary.

Light and heavy ingredients can also separate during conveying and handling.

Fragile freeze-dried ingredients may break during aggressive feeding.

For brands selling premium products, these problems can directly affect:

• Product consistency
• Ingredient distribution
• Production yield
• Consumer experience
• Brand reputation

This is where automated multi-material weighing and packaging becomes increasingly important.

Multi-Ingredient Pet Food Requires More Flexible Automation

TOUPACK multi-material weighing and packaging solutions are designed for pet food manufacturers producing multiple formulations and SKUs.

Instead of manually mixing different ingredients, individual feeding and weighing channels can be used for different materials.

The system can be configured for products such as:

• Dry cat food
• Freeze-dried meat
• Meat chunks
• Vegetable particles
• Functional nutrition particles
• Pet treats
• Mixed pet food

Different recipes can also be configured for different product requirements.

For example:

Kitten Formula → Adult Cat Formula → Sterilized Cat Formula → Senior Cat Formula

This makes automated production more suitable for brands pursuing small-batch, multi-SKU and specialized pet food production.

The equipment can also be combined with bag filling, sealing, coding and checkweighing systems to create a more complete automated packaging process. The uploaded source specifically highlights this multi-material approach for differentiated pet food formulas and the need to maintain stable ingredient ratios during production.

What Does the Global Cat Economy Mean for Pet Food Manufacturers?

The growth of the cat economy does not simply mean selling more cat food.

It means manufacturers need to become more flexible.

Future competition may increasingly focus on:

More formulas

More SKUs

More functional ingredients

Smaller production batches

Higher consistency

Better ingredient protection

More flexible packaging formats

This is particularly important as younger consumers become more involved in pet ownership.

In the United States, APPA reported that cat ownership reached an all-time high in its 2024 survey, with the number of cat-owning households increasing 23%. Multi-cat households also became more common.

The Next Stage of the Cat Economy Is About Nutrition, Not Just Ownership

The global cat economy is still part of the larger pet industry, and dogs remain a major economic force.

However, the data suggests that cats are becoming an increasingly important growth category.

The opportunity is no longer limited to selling another bag of cat food.

It is about developing products for different life stages, lifestyles and health needs — and then building manufacturing systems capable of producing those products consistently.

For pet food manufacturers, this creates a new equation:

Consumer demand → specialized formula → multi-ingredient production → precise weighing → reliable packaging → consistent product quality

The brands that can connect these stages effectively may be better positioned for the next phase of global cat food growth.

As the cat economy evolves, flexible weighing and packaging technology may become just as important as the formula itself.